


Opposite Sides of the Cage

by LittleSixx



Series: Identity Theft [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Awesome Darcy Lewis, Brotp, F/M, Gen, Loki Angst, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers Asgard, Spoilers, self-abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-14 22:50:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1281679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSixx/pseuds/LittleSixx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis's only regret was forgetting her iPod. She travels to Asgard with Jane and Thor toward the beginning of Thor: The Dark World. Not keen on Jane's scientific focus, nor in the mood to hear Odin's protests over the "mortals'" presence, she stumbles upon the one person more isolated on Asgard than her. Always keen to lend a sympathetic ear, Darcy quickly learns there is more to the God of Mischief than anyone has taken care to realize.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opposite Sides of the Cage

**Author's Note:**

> This was written very quickly. I had no beta, nor did I edit any more than spell check. If there are any typos, they are of my own making. I shouldn't night-write, but this pairing suddenly piqued my interest and I couldn't resist.
> 
> Also, this is my first attempt at both Loki and Darcy characterization. Kat Dennings has a very unique tone I tried to replicate. The story is told from Darcy's POV at the beginning and end; told from Loki's POV in the middle. Warnings for: violence, self-abuse, and mild language. This takes place at the beginning of TDW while they're in Asgard working on getting the Aether out of Jane and progresses accordingly. The relationship happens quickly as Loki's never had anyone call him out on his shit from the get-go; Darcy is quick to form an opinion of a person. It also happens fast as they're both isolated on Asgard.

Darcy wandered aimlessly through Asgard’s palace as Jane and the physicians worked on the Aether. Thor and Odin continued to squabble over Thor’s untenable decision to bring the mortals to their realm. Her eyes would have fallen out of her head if she rolled them once more, so Darcy decided to explore.

_Judging by Odin’s tone, I won’t be welcome back. It’s a once-in-a-mortal-lifetime opportunity, Darce._

She ended up at the end of a hallway in the depths of the fortress. Dimly lit with guards at either end, Darcy’s curiosity piqued. She strolled down the steps and immediately understood.

These, however, were unlike any prison Darcy could have imagined. Prisons fit for a palace; they were white pods twenty-five feet long and fifteen feet deep. Some had tables, but most were vacant aside from their multiple occupants.

_Torture at its finest: spending centuries-long lifetimes with the same person … Is Odin a god or Satan?_

The prisoners raked her form with their eyes—even the females.

_Alright, Asgard’s up with the times._

Darcy thought, approvingly. A small smile crossed her lips, but vanished as she caught sight of the occupant in the final cell.

“Jane!” She shouted. “Jane! How did you get in there?” She asked and ran to the nearby guard for help.

“That’s my friend. She’s … she’s not supposed to be in there. She’s—oh my God! Jane!” Darcy shouted as Jane pressed herself to the force field separating the cell from the hallway. Her body wracked with spasms as the barrier electrified her.

“Pay him no mind.” The guard said, walking away.

“Him?” Darcy cried. “Him?! That’s my friend, Jane.” Suddenly, Jane stepped away from the force field, unharmed.

“No, it really isn’t.” Jane said. Rather, Jane’s image said.

“Wha—“ Darcy never finished her sentence as the realization hit her. “You’re that guy …”

“I am Loki.” Jane said. “Of Asgard—“

“Right, right, Erik mentioned you before he went bonkers.” Darcy remembered, suddenly bored. “Loki of Asgard, burdened with glorious purpose. Ant, boot, magical scepter …” She waved her hand and her thought trailed off. She jumped back slightly as Loki materialized next to Jane. He waved his hand and Jane disappeared.

*

“Who might you be?” Loki asked, peering down at the woman standing in front of his cell. “You are a mortal, so you must know Jane. Odin- _son_ would only bring _her_ here. But you … I do not remember you.”

“Flattery really is not your strong suit, is it?” Darcy asked.

“It can be.” Loki said. “I see no need for me to flatter you as you could not get me out of this prison if you tried. You are also a guest of Thor, and therefore are predisposed to dislike me. I prefer not to waste effort on mortals.”

“Thor was mortal once. So he can die … will you?” The woman asked. Loki detected a hopeful tone in her question.

“Not soon enough.” Loki admitted.

“Ah, so you’re jealous of our little mortal lifespans!” She said triumphantly.

“Wouldn’t you be?” Loki asked. 

“Absolutely not.” She crossed her arms defiantly.

“Pray, tell, why that is?” Loki said, thoroughly uninterested.

“You’ve got a few centuries on you.”

“A few.” Loki said, bemused.

“It wasn’t a question.” The woman continued. “If I were that old, I could have seen the Beatles back when tickets were like a dime. Catch Elvis on Johnny Carson … I could have shared Jack Daniels with Frank Sinatra!” She said, suddenly frustrated.

“You wish to be older to gallivant around with men before your time?”

“There are so many cool things people did before me. I’d wanna appreciate it at their inception.”

“More time does equate to a higher number of interesting stories.” Loki quipped.

“I have a question.” She stated. Loki could not help but notice her absolutely luscious lips as her face set so defiantly.

“Go on.”

“Do you actually wear clothes?”

“What?” Loki’s face pinched in confusion. Until that point, the mortal had been easily understood. He had no idea where her particular path of thought would lead. He could hear the guards snickering in their posts and immediately considered sending an illusion of Odin to silence them. He quickly determined it best not to reveal his ability to send illusions outside the cell for something so mundane.

“I mean, if you can conjure illusions, why wear actual clothes?”

“No one has asked me that question before. Loki said, stunned. He bowed his head appreciatively, forming his reply. “Illusions require much … concentration.” He finished somewhat lamely.

“So … what? You don’t want to waste brain space?” She asked. Loki sighed.

“I can do much.” He said as a copy of her appeared at his side. He balled his hands into fists as Jane appeared at his other side. Then Thor, then Frigga, Heimdall, Sif, Fandral, and in seconds his cell filled with Asgardians. “But when the concentration breaks …” Loki raised his head and opened his eyes to look at the passerby. The illusions vanished instantly “… They disappear.

“Having what you desire is infinitely more satisfying than the power to replicate it.”

“Hmm …” She considered his answer.

“What is your name?” Loki asked.

“Darcy.” She replied.

“Darcy …” Loki repeated, tasting her name.

“I like the way you said it.” Darcy replied somewhat sheepishly.

“How do you mean?”

“D’ah’cy instead of D’arr’cy.” Her hands finally left her arms as she mimicked his accent. For a mortal, she was rather entertaining. Perhaps even useful.

“You know Erik Selvig?” Loki asked.

“Indeed, I do.” Darcy smiled.

“How is he?”

“Don’t tell me you are suddenly sentimental.”

“I’m not.”

“Good, ‘cause he’s gone totally bananas.” Darcy chuckled darkly.

“’Gone bananas?’” Loki asked, confused.

“Off the deep end? Cuckoo? Wiggedy wiggedy whack?” When Loki’s expression went unchanged she amended. “Mental. He’s gone mental.”

“Ah.” Loki looked at the floor, contemplating. “It must be the aftereffects of … Yes, it affects mortal minds differently than …”

“Than what? Did a god fall under your spell?”

“It was not my spell!” Loki shouted. Realizing his mistake, he stiffened.

“What do you mean? You cursed all those people. It was all over the news. Unless …”

“Yes. Yes I did.”

“… you were under.” Darcy’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. You … you aren’t even … did you? Were you?” Darcy threw her hands up in the air.

“You people call yourself gods and imprison him for doing nothing!” She groaned.

“I am in this cell because I do not regret my actions.” Loki said firmly. Darcy stepped as close to the electric barrier as she could and said,

“I don’t believe you.”

“I did not ask you to.”

“But you want me to. You want everyone to believe you are a manipulative, mischievous god when in actuality you’re just a pissed off adopted son.”

“You saucy, idle-headed varlot!” Loki shouted, uncaring who heard. “That spell amplified the truth in one’s mind. You mortals see yourselves as puppets, deep within your souls. You cling to higher species like us and non-existent gods in the skies to whom you pray. Your lives are naught but a blink. The scepter returned to me the truth Allfather spouted for centuries before officially seconding me to the true _Odinson!_ I was born to be a king! I was born to be king and he took that from me!” To her credit, Darcy did not recoil. She did not flinch. She listened.

“What’s up with you and your dad?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Everyone has one.”

“I’m adopted.”

“And you just rejected your adopted father?”

“I loved him for centuries, though he favoured Thor through them all.”

“So you took Earth as vengeance?”

“I wanted Earth to fulfill my birth right while spiting my brother.”

“So you claim him as your brother, but not Odin as your father?”

“I didn’t mean—“

“No, no. It’s alright. I’d do the same thing. Odin seems like a dick.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God! I cannot believe I said that. Am I allowed to say that? I’m in his home, in his realm where I am so not supposed to be.”

“No one’s listening.” Loki sighed. “You’re talking to me. My opinion was not valued before I was in this cell, nor after.”

“You’re not a bad-looking guy, though.” Darcy said. “You must be a hit with the ladies.” Loki chuckled.

“And a few of the men.” He said, changing his form to a beautiful Asgardian woman. Darcy doubled over in laughter.

“Oh my God! That is awesome!” She said, catching her breath. “Whoo. Do any of them know?”

“No.” Loki smiled.

“You sneaky little bastard.”

“Remarkable, the accuracy of that statement.” Loki said, his smile dimming.

“Oh. Sorry, I …”

“You do not think much before you speak.”

“True.” Darcy nodded.

“Lady Darcy—“

“Why do I get the feeling you’re about to manipulate me?” She asked, arms crossed once again across her chest.

“Fair play.” Loki said, impressed. He was about to convince her to tell Jane about his pitiful situation. Make him out to be the lonely, adopted, neglected son.

“Tell me something, Loki.” He found himself unable to answer. Stunned by the way her mouth formed the sound of the letter “m.” Inexplicably drawn to them, he tried to memorize her features to later replicate them.

“Okay, you’re staring at my face and it’s getting kind of creepy.” She said.

“Apologies, Lady Darcy.”

“Do you love anyone?” Darcy asked sincerely. Loki contemplated his answer before deciding to be open with this entrancing Darcy woman.

“While not my mother, I love Frigga as my mother.” He admitted. “She taught me magic to compensate for the lack of attention by her lesser half. She prided my intellect and always validated my abilities. They are not ‘tricks’ as everyone sees them. Illusions are a certain kind of power. While Thor’s power is his strength of body and supposed character, I take from the realm of chaos. Chaos is my good because only the cunning survive. Frigga gave that ability to me. She also treated me as a son equal to Thor—something no Asgardian nor Earthling has been able to do.”

“A momma’s boy.” Darcy smiled. “I knew it!”

“How do you know I’m not lying to you?” Loki asked.

“Because there is no way you benefit from it.” Darcy conceded. “I’m useful to you as an ally.”

“I don’t need a mortal on my side.” Loki said.

“Condemn my lifespan all you want, big guy. I’m the one outside the cell.” She winked at him and ran off, Loki assumed, to find Jane.

*

_Asgard has been invaded. Momma Frigga is dead. The holding cells were emptied. THE HOLDING CELLS WERE EMPTIED! LOKI!_

Darcy rushed back to the dim hallway and quietly padded down the steps. She entered at the other end this time—Loki’s end. All other cells were broken, but Loki’s remained. As she was about to reveal herself, she caught sight of its occupant pinned to the wall by …

_Loki?_

One Loki had another pinned to the wall, its fingers wrapped around the other’s throat.

“What have you done?!” It shouted. “This is all your fault!” Then it slammed the other’s head against the wall.

“Please.” It begged halfheartedly.

“You deserve to die!” The dominant Loki yelled before going on a rampage. Unable to find a sharp object, it grasped for one of the books scattered on the floor. A thick volume, he slammed it against the side of the other’s head. Then it broke off a table leg and did a number on itself.

First it slammed the metal leg into a forearm, causing the bottom Loki to yelp in pain.

“You weren’t there for her!” It said, throwing away the table leg. It pressed its knee against Loki’s unbroken arm to pin him down before again wrapping a hand over the god’s trachea. Each word was punctuated by a shot to the face.

“You! Did! This! Here! Of! Your! Own! Doing!”

“I know.” The bottom said through a mouthful of blood.

_Gods do bleed._

Picking up its weapon, it straightened bottom Loki’s leg before shoving the small pole through the middle of his shin. Darcy recoiled at the crack of bone and then the sight of whiter bone poking out at odd angles from his now ungodly-coloured flesh. Bottom!Loki threw its head back and cried in pain.

“Please! Stop, please!”

“Every second you suffer is a second Frigga could have lived! If only you had been the son you were meant to be!” Top!Loki screamed as it tore at the god’s overcoat. Throwing his shirt over his head and exposing his entire upper half, Darcy was impressed with the lean muscle she saw.

Impressed until Top!Loki conjured what appeared to be a sjambok. Darcy felt a mild surge of pride at remembering the term from her Asian history elective course. It was quickly deflated as Top!Loki whipped it quickly through the air and brought it down across the other’s chest. Bottom!Loki immediately attempted a fetal position, but straightened immediately after pain visibly shot its way up his leg from his shin.

“That’s right. You fail at taking pain as you fail those whom you love! The one person who always!” Another crack of the whip across the white torso. “Loved!” Crack! “You!” Crack!

Darcy covered her mouth with her hand. Unable to turn away, she knew Loki would be humiliated if he knew she saw how he felt about himself. Harming himself in such a way, acting out on such aggression when he was the “calm brother.” The “practical one.” Darcy wondered if he always reacted to failure like this.

Top!Loki kicked at the other’s ribs. He kicked until Loki managed to roll onto his stomach, the bones protruding from his leg suddenly forced back in at an awkward angle. He cried out in pain, but did not beg for release.

Crack!

“You!” Crack! “Don’t!” Crack! “Deserve!” Crack! “Life!” It said, forcing Bottom!Loki onto its back again. The sjambok disappeared and Top!Loki straddled the bottom on its knees. For the third time, those long fingers wrapped around and equally pale, bruising throat. This time, Loki had no intention of letting go. Several seconds passed as Bottom!Loki squirmed beneath the other’s grip. Unable to use its dominant arm to pry itself free, its other hand tried helplessly to pry the fingers from his throat.

As she was about to reveal herself, Bottom!Loki waved its hand and the other disappeared.

_Oh my God._

_Oh my God._

_Oh my God._

Darcy resisted the urge to vomit. Loki remained on the floor, the contents of his cell completely scattered. She saw flickers of magic alight around his leg, then his arm. His bones slowly knitted themselves together properly. It cleaned up his wounds enough so he could crawl to his shirt, which he threw over his head. As he continued to heal, he rested his back against the far left wall. Loki shouted once, anguish evident in his voice Darcy was incapable of imagining. She doubted she possessed the emotional range to feel such harsh self-loathing.

Then the scene in the cell changed. Everything was as it was before Loki received the news. He no longer had bloodstained, matted hair. His face did not shine with sweat. His table was whole and his bookshelf filled.

_Illusions are power._

*

Dressed in traditional Asgardian clothing, Darcy attended Queen Frigga’s funeral alongside Jane. She found herself strangely drawn to Asgardian traditions. Their reverence for royalty was unnerving to the political science major, but she admired their respect for both life and death.

Darcy wanted to be the first to see Loki after the ceremony. She rushed to the holding cells and saw him as he wished to be seen. He turned to face her and asked,

“Why are you here?”

“Don’t lie to me, Loki.” Darcy said. “You should know I don’t take bullshit well.”

“Lady Darcy—“

“Don’t ‘Lady Darcy’ me! I am here because I know you could, you know …” She shrugged. “You could use a friend.”

“I don’t need friends.”

“You want me.” Darcy said, confidently.

“I do not.” Loki said.

“Tell me that without your illusions, Loki.” Darcy challenged. Loki looked at her angrily before the façade disappeared.

“How was it?” He asked. Darcy smiled.

“Would you like me to tell you about it?” Loki nodded. His eyes closed as his head rested on the wall. Darcy sat herself on the step next to him, and leaned her head on the wall where the electric barrier ended.

“It was the most beautiful ceremony I could imagine.” She began, expecting a quip about her small mental capacity. None came.

“She was in a beautiful dress. A very pale orange, I think. She dressed as a Queen, but also as a warrior in her own manner. She wore cuffs and a chest plate, a sword between her hands. The gondola thing floated by nearly everyone in Asgard. The boat floated far out to sea and one of the guards shot a flaming arrow through the sky.

“As the boat was engulfed in flames, hundreds more arrows followed, plunging into the water. It was beautiful—like Frigga’s own starry night. It only lasted for a few moments before the boat floated off the edge and fell, followed by hundreds of smaller boats. Then she became, like, stardust.

“It’s fitting, almost? Like she’s going to be Queen in her own way. Watching over all of you from the skies. Asgardians seem to be heavily into the metaphorical. Then this thing I was holding erupted into a sphere of light. Like another star, but everyone else held one as well. Literally, everyone. We all let them go and they filled the sky.” Darcy sat up and moved to look at Loki directly.

“I know you feel responsible for this. You are not.”

"You cannot possibly understand." He shook his head. "This is entirely my fault." She held up a hand to silence Loki’s protest.

“This was the most unfortunate thing to happen to a very, very powerful woman. I may not have known her, Loki, but I can see you loved her and she truly cared for both you and Thor. Every night here in Asgard, she’s up there, in the stars. She remains valiant, and royal, and she’s always going to be your mother.

“I’m not good at this sentimental mumbo-jumbo.” Darcy admitted. She swore the edge of Loki’s mouth quirked up slightly. “But I kind of care about you. You’re pretty cute for a dude with daddy issues.” She joked.

“Thank you, Lady Darcy.” He said, throat still a little hoarse. Darcy pretended not to notice.

“Thor is going all over, looking for a solution to his problem of getting out of Asgard and to some other land. He’s going to come find you as a last resort. If you fuck him over, if you kill Jane, or if you in any way hinder them from accomplishing their goal, I swear to whatever god I will hunt you down and you will suffer.” She said sternly.

“I doubt you not.” Loki said.

_He looks beyond pathetic. As a god he looks … he looks almost ruined._

“I’m going to be kicked out of Asgard as soon as your douchebag dad comes to find me.” Darcy sighed. “I’m almost sad to go, but my iPod is back on Earth, and therefore is where I belong.”

“Lady Darcy.” Loki said as she got up to leave.

“Yes, God of Mischief.” She jokingly replied.

“You have been very kind to me. I’m not shown a genuine kindness very often, and tricks aside, I offer you my thanks.”

“Your thanks are expected only in the help of assisting my friends.”

“Very well.”

“Hey, Loki, do me a favour?” Darcy asked, slowly backing away.

“Anything, Lady Darcy.”

 “Keep it ‘low-key’ around here.” She joked.

“Barton always thought that was funny.” Loki muttered.

“Don’t tell Thor, but you’re my favourite god.” Darcy said as she drifted out of earshot.

“I am definitely telling Thor.” He said, slowly sinking back into a state of self-loathing.


End file.
